2022 WORLD CUP
Salt Bae speaks for the first time after controversial appearance at World Cup final
The Turkish ‘food entertainer and restaurateur’ was widely criticized for his interfering appearance on the Lusail Stadium pitch as the Argentine players celebrated their 2022 World Cup win.
Last December, Argentina secured their third World Cup triumph after a dramatic penalty shoot-out against France. As Lionel Scaloni’s men celebrated the win on the pitch at the Lusail stadium with the squad, back-room staff and family members, there was an unexpected guest on the pitch with the ‘Albiceleste’ who quickly became the protagonist on social media: the popular chef Salt Bae. The Turkish cook was the source of ire from many (especially in Argentina) as he looked to dominate proceedings and even took the trophy from celebrating players as he posted to his Instagram account.
Now, more than six months later, the chef breaks his silence in an interview with UK based The Times as he looks back at the incident and the subsequent fallout. “It was a combination of my love for Argentina and my excitement. I love Argentina and have lived there and I simply went to support them. Many (players of the national team) have come to the restaurant. I didn’t feel like a stranger. It was a special moment. I can’t do anything about why I was there, but I would never set foot on the World Cup pitch again. There were two billion people watching the World Cup... How many people are talking about me? Five billion. The whole world,” he confessed.
Salt Bae starred in a series of videos as he can be seen to force the trophy from celebrating players such as Cristian Romero or Lautaro Martínez with the players ultimately giving in. The Turk defends himself adding: “I did not enter the pitch for publicity purposes. There were at least a thousand other people in the field so I never wanted to overshadow anything. I didn’t like the attention. I didn’t kick anyone or steal anything.”
Punished in the United States
The chef was also recently in the Champions League final months after FIFA announced an investigation into what happened on the Lusail pitch. Football’s governing concluded that there were many people on the pitch without the appropriate authorisation, although ultimately, no sanctions were issued.
Salt Bae was issued with a VIP pass from FIFA but pitch access was not included in his accreditation.